World of Volvo: An essential museum tour for fans of Sweden's beloved boxy car brand

We’ve compiled a list of our personal highlights of the museum, but it’s worth noting that the exhibitions are constantly changing; Hedberg explains that there are more than 200 models in Volvo’s heritage collection, so you may visit the museum more than once and what is on display may have changed.

But the biggest draw for some will be the opportunity to pick up brand-new Volvo models from a dedicated drop-off point near the museum entrance.

Yes, that’s right: American Volvo customers will soon be able to fly to Sweden for a fee to pick up new sets of wheels from World of Volvo. Owners will then be able to explore Europe at their leisure before shipping their cars home. We asked Volvo if this would be available for the UK market; Although there were talks before the Covid outbreak, nothing has been confirmed.

Whether you’re a Volvo customer, a car fanatic or just in the local area, World of Volvo is a must-do for any trip to Gothenburg or Scandinavia. Much more than a car museum: a beautifully curated collection of interesting, entertaining and thought-provoking exhibits that aim to showcase Volvo’s position not only as an automotive brand, but also as one of lifestyle, heritage and future technologies. Oh, and there’s also a lovely gift shop.

Museum Highlights

The world’s highest mileage car

You might expect the world’s highest mileage car to be some sort of diesel repmobile. Vauxhall emblem or Ford Mondeo. But actually this is a Volvo P1800 Sports car once owned by American school teacher Irv Gordon. Gordon has driven his car a total of 3.2 million miles since purchasing it from new in 1966; this is equivalent to three round trips to the Moon. Gordon left his beloved P1800 to Volvo after he passed away in November 2018, and once jokingly offered to sell it to the brand for “$1 a mile.”

‘Adventure in Distractville’

This is Volvo’s take on an arcade racing game along the same lines as OutRun or SEGA Rally. However, the goal here is not to drive as fast as possible, but to drive as safely as possible. Glenn, a wisecracking Muppet-like creature, makes this very difficult because he tries to take your eyes off the road by asking you to turn on the headlights or change the radio station. It’s great fun and a great reminder that seemingly innocuous activities like listening to a conversation or adjusting car functions (especially with today’s touchscreens) can cause momentary lapses in concentration.

Volvo Experimental Safety Car

You may wonder whether this Volvo concept car with enlarged front and rear was designed by the Kardashians. This is actually the result of a briefing given to Volvo engineers in the early seventies. With only three examples produced, the VESC featured technologies considered futuristic at the time, such as anti-lock brakes, three-point seatbelts with pre-tensioners, airbags, and one of the world’s first rearview cameras. Designers went so far as to draw lines on the hood to direct the driver’s eyes; The giant bumpers in question could withstand collisions at speeds up to 50 mph.

Volvo White Bus

Volvo is an integral part of Swedish history and the White Bus on display at World of Volvo is a poignant reminder of this. Towards the end of World War II, an operation using 36 buses was organized by the Swedish Red Cross to rescue more than 30,000 prisoners of war held in Nazi concentration camps. The campaign has been plagued with controversy in recent years; Negotiations for the release of the prisoners were partly instigated by the Nazis themselves in order to be seen in a more positive light, and Sweden’s main goal was to save only Swedish and Danish prisoners of war. Still, relief efforts continued to save people of all races, religions and nationalities.